Lacy Marie Crocker can hardly believe it's been a year since her return home to New Orleans. There hasn't been a dull moment since opening her pet boutique last summer, and thanks to the popularity of Lacy's organic pet treats and the arrival of the National Pet Pageant, Lacy desperately needs some help before she is overrun by the demand for pupcakes and crinolines. The entire Garden District seems to be counting the minutes until opening night of the pet pageant and everything is going spectacularly until Viktor Petrov, the pageant emcee, takes a spill from the balcony during dress rehearsal. All signs point to murder, and homicide detective Jack Oliver sets his eyes on Eva Little, one of Lacy's committee sisters and the only other person on the balcony at the time of the fall. But when it comes out that Viktor was notoriously rude, the doors blow wide open with potential suspects who could've wanted him dead. Lacy's determined to find the killer and exonerate Eva, but when Lacy receives a mysterious warning -- a plush kitty from Lacy's shop with its mouth crudely stitched over -- it's clear that she's been found first.

Includes recipes for pets.